Celtics pleased with draft picks

Friday

With their two first-round picks last night, the Celtics took one player who slipped in the NBA Draft because of back issues and another who grew up playing soccer, not basketball.

And yet, they couldn't have been happier about it.

With their two first-round picks last night, the Celtics took one player who slipped in the NBA Draft because of back issues and another who grew up playing soccer, not basketball.

And yet, they couldn't have been happier about it.

The Celtics chose Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger and his sore back with the 21st pick and took relatively inexperienced Syracuse center Fab Melo with the 22nd. Assistant general manager Ryan McDonough said the Celtics had Sullinger ranked in the top 10 and Melo as a lottery pick and that the team considered both to be potential NBA starters.

McDonough said the team's doctors examined Sullinger at the team combine in Chicago and had only “minor concerns” with his back.

“Our doctors and our basketball staff determined that it was worth what we considered to be a slight risk,” McDonough said.

“I played 13 years with a bad back and I was OK,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I think he will be too.”

Two years ago, the Celtics used their first-round pick on Avery Bradley, who fell to the 19th pick because of an injured ankle that required surgery after the draft, but he excelled this season.

McDonough wasn't sure if Sullinger would need to rest his back or be able to play for the Celtics teams in rookie leagues in Orlando and Las Vegas this summer.

Sullinger, 20, is a 6-foot-9, 280-pound forward who averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds as a sophomore this season when he was a first-team All-American.

Melo, a 22-year-old native of Brazil, was voted Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore this season. The 7-foot, 255-pound center averaged 7.8 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds.

“He's one of the few guys in the country who can block shots and take charges,” McDonough said. “So he's a defensive presence right now and we also think he's an over-the-top threat on lobs and he's also able to step out and make 15- to 17-foot jumpers.”

Melo grew up playing soccer in Brazil and didn't begin playing basketball seriously until just a few years ago.

“I thought he struggled some his freshman year at Syracuse,” McDonough said, “and I thought he improved rapidly this year and their coaches gave him great reviews.”

Rivers said he planned to teach Melo how to work.

“There's a lot of work that has to be done,” Rivers said. “I love to start with size and potential and he has both of those things.”

Melo was the first player the Celtics ever drafted from Syracuse. They selected another ex-Orangeman, Kris Joseph, in the second round with the 51st pick. The 6-6, 215-pound guard-forward, led Syracuse in scoring with 13.4 points and ranked third in rebounds with 4.7 a game.

The Celtics also ended up with college teammates from the draft last year. They acquired JaJuan Johnson and picked his Purdue teammate E'Twaun Moore in the second round.

The night was even more memorable for Rivers, who was at the NBA Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with his son Austin, who was taken with the 10th pick by New Orleans.

“I hope you understand I was far more excited today for my son,” Rivers said. “It's a dream for him.”The Hornets selected Austin after taking Anthony Davis of Kentucky with the first selection. Doc Rivers and Hornets coach Monty Williams are close friends.

“I couldn't have picked a better guy for me and for Austin,” Doc Rivers said.

There were media reports earlier in the day that the Celtics tried to trade their No. 21 and No. 22 picks to move up in the draft to take Rivers's son. McDonough said the Celtics explored trading up in the draft, but didn't come close to making a deal.

The Celtics will play the Hornets home and away next season.

“It will be interesting,” Doc Rivers said.

The Celtics needed to add size and Rivers was glad that they did.

“Jared's one of the better rebounders in the country,” McDonough said. “He has a great feel for where the ball is going to come off. He has terrific hands. His rebound rate per minute is very good. He's also able to step away from the basket and makes shots and that's an area he's improved in rapidly over the last few years. He was a back to the basketball player in high school. He was always the biggest, strongest guy around and he's developed a pretty nice face-up game.”

Sullinger helped Ohio State win the NCAA East Regional at the Garden in March. Melo's Orangemen lost to Sullinger's Ohio State team in the NCAA East Regional championship game at the Garden, but Melo was ruled academically ineligible to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State forward Royce White, one of the players frequently mentioned as a possible Celtics pick, was chosen by Houston with the 16th pick. St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson, another player on the Celtics' radar, was taken with the 19th selection by Worcester native Rob Hennigan, the new general manager of the Orlando Magic.

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